Rights & Wrongs

What’s the scariest sound in a war zone? In Kherson, Ukraine, it isn’t artillery or fighter jets—it’s the faint buzz of a $200 quadcopter drone. In this episode of Rights & Wrongs, host Ngofeen Mputubwele takes us inside Russia’s use of drones to stalk and attack civilians on the front line. Survivors describe the terror of being hunted from above, and Human Rights Watch’s Belkis Wille explains how drones are being misused to commit war crimes, what it could mean for civilians in future conflicts —and why we should be responding now. Belkis Wille: Associate Director of Crisis & Conflict division at Human Rights Watch. 

In 2012, a Ugandan TV host asked trans activist Pepe Julian Onziema a now-infamous question: “Why are you gay?” The clip went viral, spawning internet fodder around the world – but behind the memes lies a chilling reality. In this episode of Rights & Wrongs, host Ngofeen Mputubwele looks at Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, a 2023 law that punishes same-sex intimacy with life in prison or even death. He speaks with “Emmanuel,” a young man in Kampala whose Grindr date turned into a violent police sting. Human Rights Watch researcher Oryem Nyeko explains how the law has fueled mob violence, extortion, and fear. But amid the repression, mothers of queer children are speaking up, leading the resistance in one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBT climates. Oryem Nyeko: Senior researcher in the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch 

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office with a vow to eliminate illegal drugs. His “war on drugs” resulted in the brutal killing of between 12,000 and 30,000 people. Despite the international outcry and extensive media coverage of the deaths and their impact, Duterte remained popular—and untouchable – until recently.  In March, he was arrested on an International Criminal Court warrant for crimes against humanity and is now sitting in a jail cell in The Hague. Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, whose fearless reporting helped expose Duterte’s brutal drug war, was targeted by Duterte – accused of everything from tax evasion to libel. In this episode of Rights & Wrongs, host Ngofeen Mputubwele speaks with Ressa and Human Rights Watch researchers about Duterte’s bloody legacy, the importance of standing up to dictators, and what his arrest means for other leaders indicted by the ICC.  Maria Ressa: CEO of Rappler and Nobel Peace Prize winner Carlos Conde: Senior researcher at the Asia division of Human Rights Watch Maria Elena Vignoli: Senior counsel in the International Justice Program of Human Rights Watch 

Roger and his partner Daniela arrived in the U.S. in January,  conditionally approved as refugees by a US State Department-run program called the Safe Mobility Initiative. Hours later, she was deported. He was detained and then, he vanished. In this episode of Rights & Wrongs, host Ngofeen Mputubwele looks at what happened to Roger—and also examines the fate of 137 Venezuelans swept up under the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used 18th-century law has only ever been used in times of war.  What began with border agents at the Houston airport questioning Roger about his tattoos turned into ICE detention and a secret transfer to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Roger, who has no criminal record, hasn’t been heard from since. Human Rights Watch’s Akshaya Kumar explains how an obscure law once used to detain Germans during both World Wars is now being deployed in peacetime for mass deportations. And Roger’s uncle, desperate for answers, shares how he watched helplessly as his nephew disappeared into a system where due process has collapsed—and fear has taken its place.  Akshaya Kumar: Director of Crisis Advocacy at Human Rights Watch  Noel Guape: Uncle of Roger Eduardo Molina Acevedo  Juan Pappier: Deputy Director of Americas at Human Rights Watch  

 Shipbreaking Updated: The Most Dangerous Job in the World In mid 2024, students in Bangladesh organized mass protests and brought down the repressive government of Sheikh Hasana.  The country is now under a caretaker government of Muhammed Yunus, a Nobel Laureate who is attempting reforms. Months before this Monsoon Revolution, we told you about shipbreaking, the waste management of industrial ships sent to Bangladesh that has been dubbed “the most dangerous job in the world.”  Guest Rizwana Hasan was then the country’s only environmental lawyer and fierce advocate against the shipbreaking industry. Today, she is the new government’s Adviser for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.  What has changed for shipbreakers under this new government. This week, host Ngofeen Mputubwele revisits last year’s episode and catches up with Human Rights Watch researcher Julia Bleckner to understand this new moment in Bangladesh, and how it will impact shipbreaking.   Julia Bleckner: Senior Researcher for the Asia Division and Global Health Initiative at Human Rights Watch Rizwana Hasan: Adviser for Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Bangladesh 

Today, there are more displaced people in the world than at any other time in history. It is a humanitarian crisis on a global scale.  But rather than seeking humane solutions to this crisis, many governments are choosing to weaponize it, creating a hostile environment for migrants and implementing laws that criminalize migration and undermine human rights.  We have all read the headlines demonizing migrants, but we rarely hear from the people behind those headlines-their stories, their challenges, and what drove them to make a perilous journey in the hope of finding sanctuary far from home.   In this week’s episode, host Ngofeen Mputubwele speaks to Hanaa R., a former policewoman who, fearing for her life, fled Afghanistan when the Taliban took control. We will hear about the risks she took and the sacrifices she made on her journey to become an asylum seeker in the US. But we will also hear why Trump’s new migration policies mean that this incredible story wouldn’t be possible today.  Hanaa Rahimi: Former Afghan policewoman sharing her story under alias Bill Frelick: Director of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Division at Human Rights Watch  

The International Criminal Court (ICC) was created to try the worst crimes in the world – war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide. Established in 1998 following the brutal civil war in Yugoslavia and genocide in Rwanda, the ICC has indicted 63 suspects. All of the court’s 125 member countries areobligated to arrest these suspects should they set foot in their territory, but the arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are testing member states’ resolve. And now the US is threatening to sanction court officials. Can the ICC survive 2025? Richard Dicker: Founding Director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights WatchElizabeth Evenson: Director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch